Capita interpreters contract translates into £15m

Outsourcing company Capita received £15m in 2012/13 from its troubled contract to provide courtroom interpreting services, the Ministry of Justice has revealed.

The MoJ claimed the deal, which came into force in February last year, has cut costs by £15m. The figure was challenged by Professional Interpreters for Justice, an umbrella group of interpreters’ organisations that oppose the contract. It said the government had never established a credible figure for its previous spend.

The figures do not include the cost of court delays, case adjournments, repeated remands in custody for offenders and other expenses of underperformance, said the body.

The MoJ has increased spend significantly with Capita since 2010/11, from £3.9m to £25m in 2011/12, as the department spent more money on interim managers and contractors through the government’s Cipher contract.